The demolition at the Nou Camp

FC Barcelona suffered their heaviest defeat in the history of the UEFA Champions League when they lost 7-0 to Bayern Munich over two legs.
The Spanish giants were the top favourite to win this year's competitionn,but they fell like a pack of cards.

Bayern Munich crushed them 4-0 at the Allianz Arena in the first leg semi final.
Thomas Muller and Mario Gomez were among the goal scorers of the day.

Many soccer pundits didn't believe it was over despite the convincing win that was orchestrated by a classic German side.

The Bavarians completed the rout when they massacred Barcelona at the Camp Nou on May 1st,2013.

After a goalless first half, Arjen Robben scored a fantastic goal to put his side ahead by 5-0 on aggregate.

Gerard Pique turned Phillip Lahm's cross into his own net just before Thomas Muller equalled Lionel Messi's Champions League tally for the season.

Alex Song,Xavi and Fabregas couldn't match the sleek looking Bayern midfield that included Frank Ribery,Thomas Muller and Arjen Robben.

Team captain,Philip Lahm had a wonderful night as the Germans strolled into their 10th Champions League final that will be played on May 25th,2013.

The venue of the match is the new Wembley stadium in London.

Munich will face Dortmund in the first ever all-German final.

AC Milan drowned in Spain

AC Milan of Italy have been sent out of the UEFA Champions League for the second consecutive season by Barcelona. The Spanish club went down 2-0 at the San Siro about two weeks ago.
The 'Blaugrana bounced back with a 4-0 win at the Nou camp on Tuesday night. Lionel Messi scored a brace in the first half before David Villa and Jordi Alba added their goals in the second half.

'Massy' Allegri had no tactical answer to the superior fire power of Lionel Messi and his team-mates.

FC Barcelona has become the first club to overturn a 2-0 deficit in the knock out stage of the Champions League.

The Catalans will join Real Madrid in the quarter final of this year's competition.

La Liga brief

FC Barcelona suffered their first league defeat of the season on Saturday. The 'Blaugrana' surrendered a 2-0 lead against Real Sociedad. Lionel Messi and Pedro Rodriguez were on target for Barcelona in the first half.

Sociedad stunned the Copa Del Rey champions an equaliser after Gerard Pique had been sent off. The hosts went ahead to claim all the three points at stake with a 3-2 win.

Real Madrid reduced Barceolna's lead to 15 points after a win over Valencia. The away tie was expected to be a difficult one for Jose Mourinho's men, but Gonzalo Higuain allayed that fear with a 9th minute strike.

The Argentine international missed a glorious chance to score two minutes earlier. Cristiano Ronaldo and Angel Di Maria scored a brace each to make it 5-0 at half time. The second half ended with a goal.

Meanwhile, the two sides will clash at mid-week for the return leg of the Copa Del Rey quarter final.

Messi wins Ballon d'or again

Lionel Messi has been named as the World player of the year 2012. The mercurial Argentine and Barcelona midfielder has now won the award on four consecutive occasions.
Messi won 42% of the vote cast by captains and coaches of national teams across the world.
Cristiano Ronaldo finished in the second spot with 21% of the votes while Andres Iniesta came third with 10% of the votes.

Barcelona failed to win the Spanish primera liga and UEFA Champions League in 2012. Argentina didn't participate at any major competition in that year.

The criteria FIFA used to select the top three nominees was not obvious. Diego Forlan was the best player at South Africa 2010, but Messi was given the world in a year Inter Milan won the Champions League while Wesley Sneidjer led Netherlands to the World cup final in that year.

Who is a true World best player?

The Federation of International Football Association (FIFA) will name the best player on the planet in January 2013.

Lionel Messi,Cristiano Ronaldo and Andreas Iniesta are the three best players for the year 2012. The trio made the shortlist after the initial 100 players were enumerated some few months ago.

For a player to be regarded as the best in the World, such a footballer should have contributed to success of his club and country. In a World cup year, the best player of the tournament should be the likely winner of the FIFA Ballon d'or award.

Continental tournaments like European Championship, 'Copa America', Asian games, African Nations Cup and CONCACAF Gold cup should also be considered before the world's best player will be chosen.

In 2012, Spain defended the European Chamionship in Ukraine and Poland after a 4-0 thumping of Italy in the final. Andreas Iniesta was HIGHLY instrumental to the success of the reigning World and European champions. The Spaniard was also a vital part of the Barcelona team that won the Spanish Kings Cup.

Cristiano Ronaldo scored a couple of goals for Portugal at Euro 2012 and his country lost to Spain on penalties after a barren draw. Ronaldo also helped Real Madrid to capture the La Liga for the first time in four years.
Although the Madrid star has been in poor form with regards to FIFA 2014 World cup qualifiers.

Lionel Messi has win the previous three editions of the FIFA award. His country(Argentina) didn't play any continental tournament in 2012. Messi scored a lot of goals for Barcelona, but that wasn't enough for them to win the UEFA Champions League.

A player like Didier Drogba single-handedly won the UEFA Champions League for Chelsea. He also propelled Cote d' Ivoire to the final of African Cup of Nations 2012. Drogba ensured Chelsea defeated Liverpool to win the FA cup. His goals were enough to deny the Teranga Lions a spot at South Africa 2013.

If the criteria for the FIFA shortlist is purely based on the performance of players for club and country, then Drogba,Iniesta and Ronaldo should have made the final three.

Reality
Spain's Iniesta deserves the 2012 FIFA Ballon d'or award. UEFA has already named as the best player in Europe for the year 2012. Since Messi is playing for Barcelona in the same continent, there is NO reason why captains and coaches of national teams should vote for him ahead of Iniesta.

From the crew at Chat Soccer, ANDREAS INIESTA is our WORLD PLAYER OF THE YEAR 2012.

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World Club Champions beaten by Celtic

The reigning World Club Champions,FC Barcelona were beaten by Celtic FC of Scotland in a UEFA Champions League match that was played at the Celtic Park on Wednesday night. The former Spaniah champions had a better ball possession throughout the game, but the Scottish Premier League side were more direct in their style of play. The 'tiki-taka' style of the Catalans failed them when they needed it most. Celtic won the match by 2-1.

Meanwhile, Arsenal were forced to a 2-2 draw by Schalke 04 of Germany in Gelsenkirchen. The Gunners surrendered a 2-0 lead to the Germans. Manchester United joined FC Porto and Malaga in the last 16 after a 3-1 away win against Sporting Braga.

FIFA Ballon d'or award nominees 2012

The Federation of International Football Association (FIFA) has released a list of the top 23 players in the world for the year 2012. The players were nominated by coaches and captains of the member nations of FIFA. Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi are the two top players that are sure of making the top 3 list later in December. Another notable player on the 23 man list is Radamel Falcao of Atletico Madrid. The Colombian striker has scored three hat tricks this season and he was responsible for his team's Europa League success last Summer. The Latin America striker is the World's most potent striker at the moment. Other players that made the shortlist are Ike Casillas,Xavi Hernandez,Alexander Iniesta,Didier Drogba, Wayne Rooney,Robin Van Persie and more.

Going by a comment made by Joseph Sepp Blatter some few months ago, a member of the Spanish national team may be declared as the winner of this year's award. Spain defended their European title in Poland and Ukraine after a 4-0 win over Italy.

Barcelona vs Granada Preview

FC Barcelona struggled to beat Spartak Moscow in the UEFA Champions League match that took place at the Camp Nou on Wednesday night. Lionel Messi scored a brace to give his team a 3-2 win.

Possible Lineups
Barcelona- Valdes; Alves, Song, Mascherano, Alba;  Xavi, Busquets, Fabregas;  Tello, Messi, Sanchez

Granada-Tono; Nyom,Lopez,Gomez,Siqueira; Iriney,M Rico; Torje,Orellana,El-Arabi; Floro Flores

Missing players
Gerard Pique will join Carles Puyol and Andreas Iniesta on the sidelines. Pique sprinkled his ankle in his side's 3-2 win during the week.
Odion Ighalo, Manolo Lucena and Roberto will be missing in action for the visitors.

Returnees
Alex Song will take the place of Pique while Jordi Alba will return at the left back position. The Spaniard has recovered from influenza.
On the other hand, Antonio Floro Flores and Darwin Machis are expected to lead the attack against Barcelona's defenders despite suffering minor injuries in last week's 1-1 draw against Deportivo La Coruna.

Facts
Barca have recorded one clean sheet in their four league games while Granada are still searching for their first win of the season.

Prediction:
Barcelona 4-1 Granada

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We have not submitted a bid for Ronaldo-PSG official

Paris Saint Germain have denied media reports linking Cristiano Ronaldo with a move to the French capital. Al Khelafi said that his team were yet to make an offer for the Real Madrid winger. The Portuguese international star scored his team's winning goal against Manchester City in a UEFA Champions League match that was played on Tuesday night.

However, the Qatari business man stated that it would be nice to have both Ronaldo and Messi in the same team. The Qatar Sports Investments have spent over $400m in the past twelve months. He said that they were not in a hurry  to win titles since their ambition is to build a solid team that can win the French Ligue 1 and also be a force to reckon with in the Champions League.

PSG finished in the second spot of the French Ligue 1 last season and they defeated their Champions League opponents by four goals to one on Wednesday. Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Javier Pastore and Lucas Moura are some of the new players that joined the Paris club in recent times.

Iniesta is Europe's player of the season

Andres Iniesta has been named as the winner of UEFA player of the season in Nyon, Switzerland. The Spanish international midfielder was highly instrumental to the success of his national team at Euro 2012. The Barcelona man also led his club to the semi final of the champions league and helped them to capture the Kings cup. Iniesta beat Lionel Messi to the second spot, while Cristiano Ronaldo finished in third place. UEFA introduced the award just a year after the Ballon d'or was merged with the FIFA player of the year title.

Barcelona vs Real Sociedad preview

FC Barcelona will host Real Sociedad at the Nou Camp on Sunday. Alexander Song is not going to feature in the match after he completed a £15 million move from Arsenal on Saturday. Jordi Alba will make his debut in this game. The Spanish left back joined the Catalans shortly before the start of Euro 2012 in Ukraine and Poland. His compatriot, David Villa could be on the bench after his recent recovery from a long injury spell. Thiago Alcantra is another player that will be available for the match after he shook off a tibia injury.

Carlos Vela, Chori Castro, Antoine Griezman will form a three man attack for Real Sociedad. Jose Angel will make his debut for the visitors after his arrival from AS Roma of Italy.
Sociedad have only drawn two of their last eight matches against Barcelona and lost the remaining six. If they lose today, this will be their 15th consecutive defeat at the Camp Nou. The last time Barcelona lost to Sociedad was in April 2011 when they were beaten 2-1.
Kick off time: 7pm UTC
Our prediction
Barcelona 5-1 Real Sociedad

The return of Ronaldo and Messi

Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi will return to action for their respective clubs as the Spanish Primera Liga resumes this weekend. The two World class players scored a total of 132 goals between them last season. Messi was instrumental in his country's 3-1 win over Germany in an  international friendly that was played on Wednesday. The Argentine missed a penalty and scored a goal for his team. He has been nominated alongside players like Andreas Iniesta and Ronaldo for the UEFA player of the season award. The reigning World player of the year stated that he prefers Iniesta to Ronaldo. He also blamed the media for the Ronaldo/Messi rivalry saga. FC Barcelona will meet Real Sociedad in this season's opener while Real Madrid will take on Valencia. CR7 scored a goal for his country in their 2-0 win over Panama on Wednesday. The La liga was initially threatened by a strike action due to TV right issues, but the players' professional body in Spain has cancelled that plan. Madrid won the La liga last season while Barcelona won the King's cup. The two sides crashed out of the UEFA Champions League in the semi final stage.

Betis vs Barcelona preview

Real Betis will play host to FC Barcelona in their last La liga match of the season at the Estadio Benito Villamarin on Saturday. Pep Guardiola will lead out his Barcelona players to Sevilla in his last La liga match as the manager of the Catalans. The home team are unbeaten in their last five games at the Benito stadium. Roque Santa Cruz has been passed fit to play against Barca after sustaining an injury in his last match. Seydou Keita is a major doubt for this match, while Carles Puyol has been ruled out with an injury that might keep him out of the Euro 2012 campaign in June.Barcelona have won their last seven away league matches.  Lionel Messi has scored 50 league goals this season and he is set to win the Pichichi that was won by Cristiano Ronaldo last season.

Our prediction: Betis 1-4 Barcelona.

AC Milan VS FC Barcelona preview

Thiago Silva's absence is a major blow for the Rosoneri who are looking forward to getting their second win at home to the Spanish giants at the San Siro stadium. The two teams met at this same venue during the group stage and Barcelona won by three goals to two. Ibrahimovic will not be the only man that Barcelona defenders will have to contend with following the availability of Kevin Prince Boateng and Robinho. The Spaniards are without Eric Abidal (kidney transplant op) and Ibrahim Afellay (injury). Cesc Fabregas, Pedro and Alexis Sanchez are available to play today's game. The Catalans are seeking for their tenth straight win in all competitions and are likely going to break AC Milan's unbeaten home record in the quarter final of the Champions League. The Italians are unbeaten in their last 10 quarter final games at the San Siro. Chelsea broke Benfica's unbeaten home run in the competition last night. Lionel Messi will b expected to lead his team to victory later tonight.

Merciless Messi

Our prediction: AC Milan 1-3 FC Barcelona

Granada grounded by Merciless Messi!

Argentine playmaker, Lionel Messi showed no mercy at the Camp Nou when he scored a brace to help his side beat Granada 5-3 in a La liga match that was played last night. His hat trick was enough to make him Barcelona's all-time top scorer with 234 goals. Xavi Hernandez opened the scoring after 4 minutes of action. The Spanish International got an assist from Lionel Messi. In the 19th minute, Cuenca's cross was headed away, but Messi was on hand to volley the ball into the net, though the ball came off the post. The first 45 minutes ended 2-0 in favour of Pep Guardiola's men. After the restart, Martins delivered a pin-point free kick that was nodded home by Diego Mainz to reduce the deficit by a goal. Granada got an equaliser when Guilherme Siqueira sent Victor Valdes the wrong way to make it 2-2 from the penalty spot. Dani Alves committed the foul that led to the goal. The visitors were caught napping when Dani Alves lobbed the ball over their defenders, leaving Messi with no other choice than to score his 234rd goal for Barcelona. Tello made it 4-2 after 82nd minute. Xavi and Messi exchanged brilliant passes before passing the ball to Tello to slot in the goal. Messi made it 5-2 four minutes later as he dribbled Granada goalie (Cesar) to complete his hat trick which was also his 34th La liga goal of the season. Siqueira grabbed his brace from the penalty spot after Alves was sent off by the referee. The game eventually finished 5-3 in favour of Barcelona.

Lionel Messi

"Messiful" Barca white-wash Leverkusen

Reigning World Player of the year, Lionel Messi was a five star attraction yesterday. The Argentine forward scored five goals for FC Barcelona in a Champions League match that was played at the Camp Nou. Messi has created a new scoring record in the history of the tournament. Bayer Leverkuen were trailing the Pep Guardiola led team by three goals to one from their first leg defeat at the Bay Arena, but the Germans suffered their heaviest defeat in the history if the competition. The game eventually ended 7-1. Two first half goals from Messi indicated the intention of the defending Champions for a goal spree that was completed in the second half of the match. The Germans left their defence unguarded on several occasions and Barcelona players like Xavi,Insiesta and Keita exchanged accurate passes in the midfield to get the ball behind the German defence. Messi's first goal came in the 25th minute when he latched on to a pass from Xavi to chip the ball over the Leverkusen goalie. A dazzling run from the left side of the visitors was made by the Argentine in the 44th minute to double his team's advantage on the night. It was 3-0 after 49 minutes as Messi chipped the ball over Leon(goal keeper) to complete his hat trick.

 Debutant Christiano Tello also grabbed a brace in the match before Messi scored two more goals for his team. Bellarabi's late consolation was too little as the Germans crashed out on a 10-2 aggregate. The Catalans equalled the biggest scoreline in the knock out phase of the Champions League that was set by Manchester United in 2007. That match ended 7-1. Barcelona have joined AC Milan,Benfica and Apoel Nicosia in the last eight of the competition.